François Leguat

When these Birds build their Nests, they choose a clean Place, gather together some Palm-Leaves for that purpose, and heap them up a foot and a half high from the Ground, on which they sit. They never lay but one Egg, which is much bigger than that of a Goose. The Male and Female both cover it in their turns, and the young is not hatch’d till at seven Weeks end: All the while they are sitting upon it, or are bringing up their young one, which is not able to provide for its self in several Months, they will not suffer any other Bird of their Species to come within two hundred yards round of the Place: But what is very singular, is, The Males will never drive away the Females, only when he perceives one he makes a noise with his Wings to call the Female, and she drives the unwelcome Stranger away, not leaving it till ’tis without her Bounds. The Female do’s the same as to the Males, whom she leaves to the Male, and he drives them away. We have observ’d this several times, and I affirm it to be true.

The Combats between them on this occasion lasts sometimes pretty long, because the Stranger only turns about, and do’s not fly directly from the Nest: However, the others do not forsake it, till they have quite driv’n it out of their Limits. After these Birds have rais’d their young One, and left it to its self, they are always together, which the other Birds are not, and tho’ they happen to mingle with other Birds of the same Species, these two Companions never disunite. We have often remark’d, that some days after the young one leaves the Nest, a Company of thirty or forty brings another young one to it; and the new fledg’d Bird with its Father and Mother joyning with the Band, march to some bye Place. We frequently follow’d them, and found that afterwards the old ones went each their way alone, or in Couples, and left the two young ones together, which we call’d a Marriage¹.